Petfinder Foundation News

Welcome to Furry Friday! We’ve teamed up with the wonderful sponsors of the Piece for Shelter Pets initiative to feature two adoptable pets every week for six weeks (this is the final week!). For Furry Friday’s grand finale, meet Lola and Surf!

Lola

Gorgeous shepherd mix Lola was shy and timid when first surrendered to Halfway to Home Animal Rescue in Mojave, Calif., but she’s since blossomed into a friendly, affectionate 45-lb. lap dog! She’s crate-trained, good with other dogs and would love to be your forever companion. Meet her here!

Surf

Handsome Surf came to Pets Alive in Middletown, N.Y., from a hoarding situation, but you’d never know it. He loves people, cats, sunbeams, cozy blankets, toys and everything good that life has to offer. While he may be a senior, he is so playful and happy that you will wonder if you can keep up with him! Meet him here!

Piece for Shelter Pets grew out of our partnership with The Quilt Pattern Magazine and its readers, who mobilized after Superstorm Sandy to sew Kennel Quilts — soft beds designed to fit right inside a cage at an animal shelter — to give peace and comfort to displaced pets.

The effort was so successful that the TQPM Kennel Quilt Team was born, and in the past five years, we’ve worked with quilters to get more than 10,200 Kennel Quilts to shelters across North America that have been impacted by natural and man-made disaster.

Aurifil Threads has since joined in with several thread collections benefiting the Petfinder Foundation. Two of those collections, Fifi and Fido and Happy Hounds, were curated to match Island Batik’s Fifi and Fido and Happy Hounds fabric collections. A portion of proceeds from the sale of these fabrics are also donated to the Petfinder Foundation!

Other Piece for Shelter Pets sponsors now include Quilty Box, Benartex Fabrics, and Hancock’s of Paducah! Quilty Box has released a limited edition Kennel Quilty Box, with 100% of proceeds going to the Petfinder Foundation. Benartex has designed and released a print line, The Joey Collection, in honor of a beloved rescue dog. And Hancock’s of Paducah is helping to raise awareness of the program and adoptable pets. THANK YOU to all of the sponsors and everyone who has made and donated Kennel Quilts.

How can YOU get involved? ADOPT! Or, get stitching and whip up your own Kennel Quilt. If you’re making Kennel Quilts and sharing them online, make sure to tag your posts #kennelquilts and #tqpmkennelquilts. And of course, you can always donate to the Petfinder Foundation or purchase any of the products mentioned above.

October is national Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and some quilt-industry professionals are partnering with the Petfinder Foundation to create awareness of shelter dogs (and cats) who need “furrever” homes. It is an unusual combination, but one that is working beautifully to help our furry friends.

These quilt-industry professionals are animal lovers and have partnered together to help shelter animals in ways that are new and unique. So join us in the Piece for Shelter Pets Blog Hop and see how we are helping and how you can help.

A Missouri shelter dog on his Kennel Quilt

The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM) — an international online-only publication — partnered with the Petfinder Foundation to form the TQPM Small Kennel Quilt Team after Hurricane Sandy. The two organizations help animal shelters affected by disasters by sending Kennel Quilts for the displaced animals.

Sewing essentials are needed for Kennel Quilts, and Aurifil Threads, Bernina USA, Island Batik Fabrics, Quilty Box and Benartex Fabrics have joined the TQPM Kennel Quilt effort to help the Petfinder Foundation.

Aurifil’s Kennel Quilt thread kit

Aurifil Threads created a Small Kennel Quilt Thread Kit last year and will be introducing two more thread collections at the International Quilt Market in Houston this month. A portion of sales goes to the Petfinder Foundation.

Bernina’s Special Edition Best Friend sewing machine

Bernina of America created a special-edition Best Friends sewing machine this year featuring paw prints. They donated $30,000 to the Petfinder Foundation from the sales of the machine.

One of Island Batik’s Fifi and Fido fabrics

Island Batik is introducing two new animal fabric lines at International Quilt Market. A portion of sales will go to the Petfinder Foundation.

A special-edition Quilty Box with everything to make a Kennel Quilt

Quilty Box will offer special TQPM Kennel Quilt boxes and the Petfinder Foundation will be the recipient of a portion of their sales.

Benartex’s Joey the Shop Dog fabric

Benartex will introduce new fabrics at International Quilt Market which will benefit the Petfinder Foundation.

These quilt-industry professionals are animal lovers and have partnered together to help shelter animals in ways that are new and unique. It is a way to join a larger effort to help our animal friends in times of need by doing what we love. We are reaching out to our quilting friends to ask for support and help for our furry friends.

There are so many shelter animals who need homes. This is a great time to check with your local shelter for your “furrever” friend — or you can check out Petfinder.com. However, if you can’t adopt at this time, there are numerous other ways to help and that will be shared on all our blogs. Please join us in this effort and remember to adopt — don’t shop!

For the past 20 years, Petfinder has helped 25 million pets find their families through adoption. They wanted to use this moment to celebrate their incredible legacy with their shelter and rescue-group members while inspiring a new generation of pet lovers, just like you. They created a video and pledged to donate $250,000 to the Petfinder Foundation if the video reached 1.25 million views by Oct. 24, 2016. Thanks to the dedication and inspired help of the masses, they have already reached their goal! The donated funds will reward 25 shelter and rescue-group members with $10,000 grants, allowing them to keep doing the amazing work that they do!

Sailor, the dog whose story inspired the grant, with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter

In 2015, the Petfinder Foundation gave St. Louis’s APA Adoption Center, formerly known as the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, a $10,000 grant to support its Pet Transfer Program, which pulls pets at risk of euthanasia from nearby urban, suburban and rural shelters and brings them to its own state-of-the-art facility, where those pets have a greater chance of being adopted.

We first learned about the program in 2014 when we received this grant report. We’d given APA a $1,000 grant to promote dog adoptions; it had applied those funds toward the Pet Transfer Program and described the program, and how it had saved a dog named Sailor, in its report.

We were impressed by APA’s spirit of cooperation with its transfer partners and its staff’s willingness to use a variety of tools to get exposure for its adoptable pets, including Facebook, Instagram, mobile adoption events, Sunday-brunch fundraisers, corporate PetCare Pride Days, Pet of the Week features on local TV programs and photo ops with St. Louis Cardinals players.

Sheriff spent his life tied to a 1-ft. rope before he was rescued and adopted from the APA.

The Petfinder Foundation gave APA the $10,000 grant to cover the Transfer Program’s expenses for 2015, with the provisos that APA use that time to make the program self-sustaining (covering the cost of caring for transfer animals through adoption fees and other revenue generators) and that, at the end of the year, it put together a best-practices document so that other shelters could replicate the program’s success.

Here are those best practices, from APA Development Associate Stacey Switzer:

The APA Adoption Center has worked with our local animal control for a number of years, but our official Pet Transfer Program started in 2014. In 2015 we had a total of 19 partners and transferred 1,024 animals to our shelter.

Step 1: Build Trust
One major hurdle we faced from the beginning was that, while our live-release rate at the time was 91%, the APA is an open-admission shelter, not a no-kill shelter. (We currently have a live-release rate of 95% and our average length of stay is only seven days.) So when it came to adding new partners to transfer pets to us, we had to do some relationship-building.

A former hunting dog, Tony had to learn indoor manners before he could be adopted.

The employee who founded our transfer program had to start with a door-to-door approach, talking to one person at a time. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and once we had a few key partners on board, they were able to help us spread the word. It was important to talk about our great adoption statistics and the fact that we have an average of 2,000 people walking through our Adoption Center each month. This was an eye-opener to many rescue groups whose adoptable pets are housed in foster homes. There is simply no way for those pets to get as many looks when they’re in a home as they do in our Adoption Center.

The fact that we do euthanize still made some potential partners nervous. To get over this hurdle, we offered guaranteed adoption or the option to return the pet. If for some reason an animal ends up not being an adoption candidate, we always provide our transfer partner the opportunity to take the pet back. It is rare that this happens, but the guarantee offered the security that some of our partners needed to get on board.

Some rescue groups started by transferring just one or two dogs to the APA, I think to make sure we would hold up our end of the deal. Once they saw how quickly the pets were being adopted, they started transferring more to us at a time.

John Jay, who’d been abused, graduated from the Puppies for Parole training program.

Step 2: Make it Easy for Your Partners
Some shelters in rural areas wanted to partner with us, but transportation was an issue. We approached some volunteers who did dog-walking and in-shelter work for us to see if they would be willing to put in some drive time for us. We were pleasantly surprised by the responses! It’s important to check with the volunteers that you already have. Ours were willing to do it — they’d just never been asked.

Step 3: Transfer in Pets You Really Can Place
Time is a valuable resource, so we have to be very clear about which pets we can and cannot place for adoption. In the beginning, we would transfer pets to the APA and then do heartworm tests after they were signed in. We typically will not place a heartworm-positive dog up for adoption, so we would then contact the partner organization to come pick the dog up. This was a waste of time for both us and our partner.

To solve this problem, if we are going to pick the animals up ourselves, we will heartworm-test before we bring the animal back to the shelter. We have even provided some rural shelters with heartworm tests so they can test dogs before they bring them to us.

Lana bounced among six homes before finding her forever family at the APA.

We also have to be very clear that we do not place animals who show any signs of aggression or have a bite history. If a pet starts to display that behavior while in our care, we will call the rescue group and give them a reasonable amount of time to pick up the animal if they want to.

Finally, when selecting the dogs we transfer in, we consider the dogs we already have available for adoption in our shelter and try to bring in dogs who will round out our population. The transfer program has really helped the APA increase the variety of adoptable dogs in our shelter. We believe this is part of the reason we saw a 47% increase in adoptions between 2014 and 2015.

Step 4: Make Good Matches
Our adoption process includes a brief interview with potential adopters, followed by a meet-and-greet with the dog or cat. At the APA, we are especially proud of our adoption counselors. They do an amazing job of helping potential adopters pick the right pet for their family. They help make sure the family is selecting a dog that is the right breed, size, and energy level for the household.

Eddie marked everywhere, but his new family was willing to work with him.

For example, an elderly couple may not be the best fit for a 1-year-old dog who is not leashed-trained and who jumps on people. Our adoption counselors will help them choose a more-relaxed dog. In short, having a variety of breeds for potential adopters to choose from and well-trained adoption counselors are the keys to finding pets forever homes.

Step 5: Make it Pay for Itself
Grant funding is one of the reasons we can sustain the transfer program. Our adoption fees also recover some of the costs. Finally, we have found that collaboration is a wonderful thing that appeals to donors. It has been a great message for us to share with our donor base that in 2015 we gave 1,024 animals a second chance!

A kitten rescued by Purrs of Hope Rescue in Hammond who lost his leg due to the flood

Purrs of Hope Rescue
We sent a $1,000 grant to Purrs of Hope Rescue in Hammond, La. “We took in 41 cats from Tangi Humane Society, a local shelter that flooded,” President Angela Bourgeois tells us. “[In total,] we have taken in 64 cats and kittens impacted by the recent flood. Our total cats are [now] over 200.”

None of the new cats had any vetting. All needed to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, combo-tested and given basic intake care, and some were sick and required immediate treatment. Thirty of them are receiving ringworm treatment; some are on antibiotics for upper-respiratory infections.

Among the cats taken in by the organization as a result of the flooding: A litter that fell through an attic roof and needed to be provided with a nursing mother, and another litter that had been without a mother for several days. This latter group of kittens were emaciated, flea- and worm-ridden and suffering from severe upper-respiratory infections; one (pictured) was injured and had to have his leg amputated. “We want to give a huge THANK YOU to the Petfinder Foundation for awarding us a grant that will help us provide the necessary vet care to these cats and kittens,” Bourgeois says.

Brody (left) and Roger were taken in by Zeus’ Rescues and are receiving treatment for skin conditions.

Zeus’ Rescues
Our $2,500 grant to Zeus’ Rescues in New Orleans provided medical treatment for animals who came from flooded shelters in the Baton Rouge area. “This grant helped our organization when we were in a really tight spot,” Volunteer Development Director Kellie Grengs says. “We had zero funds to support the medical care of 200+ animals that our small volunteer rescue brought in over the course of two weeks. The funds allowed us to quickly get medical attention to the neediest cases.”

Among those helped were Brody and Roger (above), who, along with about six other siblings/parents/aunts/uncles, were found trapped in a flooded trailer in Denham Springs. Other dogs in kennels in the yard had drowned and died. Brody and Roger were able to stay afloat inside the trailer that they had been locked in. Both dogs are being treated for severe skin issues and other medical problems related to floodwater exposure. Although they are shy, both are now wagging their tails and eager to please. They are currently in foster care and also available for adoption, and hoarding and animal-abuse charges are pending against their former owner.

Sebastian was in bad shape, but is now healthy, happy and adopted.

Bark And Roll Rescue Companions
We also sent a $1,500 grant to Bark And Roll Rescue Companions in Baton Rouge, which provided care for multiple animals (a kitten found in the flood, a stranded fawn who was released back to its mother after the waters receded, and seven dogs suffering from flood-related illness and injuries) and also microchipped 75 dogs and cats living with their displaced owners in the Red Cross shelter (three of those dogs have since been separated from their owners and and then reunited with them thanks to the chips).

“We were also able to spay/neuter, vaccinate and prepare six dogs to be transported to Virginia to another rescue when their foster homes were flooded,” Bark And Roll President Dana Kahn says. “This grant also provided the financial assistance to board a couple of our dogs when their foster mom’s home was under four feet of water until safe housing could be obtained.”

Among the dogs helped by the grant was Sebastian (pictured), found sick, scared and severely matted after the floods. He had abrasions to his body as well as an upper-respiratory infection that required several rounds of antibiotics. “Due to the generosity of the disaster relief grant, we were able to quickly treat his infections and place him in our adoption program,” Kahn says. “He has since found his family, who adore him, and he has blossomed into the beloved family pet he was meant to be!”

Thank you for your generous donations, which allowed adoption groups to save these lives!

Zeus’ Rescue shelter director Michelle Ingram with a dog rescued from a shelter that was flooded

As catastrophic flooding has devastated Louisiana, the Petfinder Foundation is rushing funds to the organizations working to save the region’s pets. These are the shelters we’ve sent grant money to already; we continue to send funds as groups contact us.

Bark and Roll Rescue Companions
The majority of the foster homes at this Baton Rouge rescue group were flooded, and some are currently under eight feet of water. The group was able to transfer some animals to a rescue in Virginia, but others are being boarded.

“We also took in four dogs and a kitten from the floods who are ill from being in the cold waters and will need ongoing care,” says founder Dana Kahn. “Our rescue has offered to provide microchips and free registration to all the pets of flood victims who have been displaced to ensure they can get their animals back if they are separated during this trying time.”

We sent Bark and Roll a $1,500 grant to help the organization cover veterinary expenses and meet its animals’ daily needs of enrichment, food and care.

Rescutopia has been distributing pet food to residents displaced with their animals.

“We focus on the East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parish Area; both areas have been 90 percent flooded. We have taken in several homeless pets who were evacuated. All of South Louisiana is completely devastated, as a flood like this has never occurred. The flooding is worse than Katrina. Our community is devastated.”

We sent Rescutopia $1,000, which will be used to pay for food, crates, pet supplies and any medical treatment that may be required.

A dog from a flooded shelter who has found refuge at Zeus’ Rescues in New Orleans

Zeus’ Rescues
The New Orleans shelter did not flood, but it has taken in more than 160 cats, kittens, dogs and puppies from shelters north of it that did — and many more are expected. Most of them have had minimal vaccinations and are not spayed or neutered; all will need to be altered and microchipped prior to being adopted at the reduced cost of $75 per animal.

Volunteer Kellie Grengs describes the desperate situation: “Shelter director Michelle Ingram and volunteers have driven in flood waters for the past four days to reach shelters that have taken on several feet of water. On Sunday, Aug. 14, Michelle pulled more than 60 animals from the Sorrento no-kill shelter and we expect more.

“Numerous shelters just a few miles north of us were impacted. One was overwhelmed by fast-rising flood waters and all they could do was open the kennels and let the dogs swim free so they didn’t drown. Rescue boats are in the process of saving human lives first and animals second. Michelle is on the scene pulling these animals and caring for them with a team of volunteers. Our shelter averages 400 adoptions annually; this will put a great strain on our already-limited resources, but we simply could not let these animals drown.”

We sent Zeus’ Rescues $2,500 to offset the costs of spaying and neutering the rescued pets. “Thank you so much!” Grengs says. “Last week was a whirl! We vetted 62 cats and one dog on Saturday afternoon alone and shipped 10,000 lbs. of dog/cat food and supplies to the flooded shelters. It was wild, to say the least. So many of the wonderful animals are in foster and will be getting adopted soon!”

This pup rescued from Louisiana floodwaters is being cared for by Animal Aid for Vermilion Area in Abbeville.

Animal Aid for Vermilion Area
“Vermilion Parish and surrounding areas have been devastated by flooding,” says Roxanne Bayard, vice president of the Abbeville, La., shelter. “Many animals have drowned and waters continue to rise. We are having to evacuate homes with pets as well as the shelter to avoid animals drowning. We need to purchase crates, leashes, collars, cleaning supplies, new bedding, fans, litter, litter boxes and food. Many animals need emergency vetting due to injuries sustained in the flooding.” We sent $2,500 to help with these expenses.

Shelters and rescue groups are increasingly making the most of technology to save homeless pets. That’s why we’ve been giving grants designed to help them do just that. Here are a few examples of pets saved by our tech grants:

Batman
A volunteer for Community Concern for Cats in Walnut Creek, Calif., witnessed this tiny 6-month-old kitten being thrown out the window of a moving car. Once safe in the care of CC4C, he was given medical care, neutered and showered with love. Despite his rough start, he was very friendly, and was quickly adopted by an adoring couple at one of the group’s pet-store adoption sites. His adoption was expedited by one of the three wireless credit-card terminals CC4C had purchased with our technology grant. The terminals allow volunteers to spend less time processing payments and more time rescuing cats like Batman. Read more about how our grant helped cats like him.

Donna had been chained and left for dead.

Donna
When Donna came to Mutt Scouts in San Diego, she was completely hairless and covered in sores from severe mange. She had been chained up and left for dead as a young pup. Mutt Scouts spend months nursing her back to health — but still, as a “big black dog,” she was overlooked by adopters. Then, Mutt Scouts purchased a new camera with funds from our technology grant. Donna was the first dog they photographed with it. She was soon adopted by a woman who loves her — and who says it was Donna’s smile in her online photo that caught her eye. Read about more dogs helped by our grant to Mutt Scouts.

Mike B. had severe bite wounds all over his face.

Mike B.
Mike B., a stray cat, was suffering from serious bite wounds to his face when he was rescued by the Tree House Humane Society in Chicago. He also had lesions on his legs, a severe upper respiratory infection and a mass on his tongue, and tested positive for FIV. Shelter staff were not sure whether Mike would survive, but they gave him the medical care he needed and, miraculously, he recovered. Soon, his joyful personality emerged, and he was adopted. He now spends his time playing with his fellow FIV+ rescue cat, Chuck. Mike B. was featured in a video made with help from our technology grant, which funded equipment to help promote more special-needs cats like him. Find out more about this grant.

Missy’s embedded chain had to be surgically removed.

Sunshine
Animal cruelty convictions and stiff penalties have historically been hard to come by in Fulton County, Ga. But thanks to equipment purchased with funds from our technology grant to LifeLine Animal Project in Atlanta, including digital cameras and GoPro video cameras, those who abuse pets like Sunshine are being brought to justice. Sunshine was found with a collar embedded so deeply in her neck, it had to be surgically removed. Field officers were able to document her condition and present the evidence at trial, and her former owner was convicted and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Sunshine recovered and has been adopted! Read her story.

This kitten was rescued from wildfires by Sonoma Humane Society in Santa Rosa, Calif.; the lost and injured dog was saved by Wine Country Animal Lovers in Calistoga.

To date, three major wildfires raging in Northern California have burned more than 289,000 acres of land; one of them, the Valley Fire, has destroyed more than 1,250 homes. This means residents are fleeing and pets are being lost and injured.

The Petfinder Foundation is helping two organizations that are saving pets from these devastating fires: Sonoma Humane Society in Santa Rosa, Calif., and Wine Country Animal Lovers in Calistoga, Calif. Thanks to your donations, we have granted each group $5,000 in cash to cover medical, pet-care, staffing and other emergency expenses.

Sonoma Humane Society
Sonoma Humane Society has mobilized to the evacuation site at the Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga to provide coordination, resources and medical attention for lost and injured pets. It is currently serving 500 people and a more than 400 pets with an on-site triage unit that is providing medical assistance, flea medications and vaccinations; moving animals in need of acute medical care to veterinary partners in local communities; managing an on-site depot where evacuees can pick up supplies so that they can take their pets with them; and using its adoption van to provide a quiet, comfortable place for lost animals to stay while shelter staff attempt to reunite them with their families.

Sonoma Humane Society is also taking in pets at its Santa Rosa campus from a Lake County shelter so that that shelter could make room for animals displaced by the fire. “All local shelters and vets in the fire areas are full,” says Sonoma Humane Society Director of Development Melissa Dobar. “We are placing several of our animals in foster homes to help manage our capacity as we prepare for the influx of more rescued animals. Additionally, we are actively recruiting foster volunteers and providing emergency orientations as we plan for the future needs of the fire victims.”

This lost dog received medical care thanks to Wine Country Animal Lovers.

Wine Country Animal Lovers
Wine Country Animal Lovers is serving more than 300 animals at the Napa Fairgrounds evacuation site, with more animals arriving with their owners daily. Funds from our disaster grant will be used to pay vets in Lake County for displaced animals injured by the fire as well as pets being brought in by their owners. “We have let all of the vets in Lake County know that our organization will pay them to treat all injured animals, as few owners have the resources to do so,” says Wine Country Animal Lovers Board President Pam Ingalls. “We have asked that they discount what they comfortably can to make the funding go further and have guaranteed payment for their services.”

In addition, Wine Country Animal Lovers has removed all pets scheduled for euthanasia at the county shelter in Lakeport to make space for evacuated animals and placed them in foster care, where they will receive medical care before being put up for adoption. “We will be there as long as needed,” Ingalls says. “This will be a long haul. Not one dollar received will go other than to help Valley Fire animal victims. We are all volunteer-run.”

The Petfinder Foundation’s Emergency Medical Fund has helped dozens of pets suffering from the most severe injuries and illnesses as a result of abuse and neglect. For these animals, medical care is a necessity in order for them to become adoptable. Here are just a few of the pets aided by the Emergency Medical Grants you helped fund:

Carley
Tiny 4-week-old Carley (pictured above) came to Capital Area Rescue Effort (CARE) in Sandston, Va., from an open-admission shelter in South Carolina, where she was scheduled for euthanasia due to her rectal fistula, a congenital birth defect that is fatal in most cases. Not only was the condition extremely painful for her, it caused a severe urinary tract infection that was becoming septic. CARE immediately got Carley emergency surgery to correct the condition. She healed perfectly and is expected to live a normal, happy life!

Gemma

Gemma was struck by a car and suffered two badly broken legs.

As a homeless puppy in rural Kentucky, Gemma ran across a rural road and was hit head-on by a car doing 60+ miles an hour. She ended up lodged in the grille of the car with two badly broken legs. Her rescuers discovered that the painfully skinny dog’s stomach was full of rocks because she’d been eating anything she could find. She was also infested with fleas and ticks. Without resources for expensive vet care, her rescuers in Kentucky arranged for Gemma to be flown to Cayuga Dog Rescue in Ithaca, N.Y., where she was treated by orthopedic specialists. The loving, playful girl recovered beautifully and has been adopted!

Webster

Abandoned in the country, Webster’s legs were deformed due to starvation.

Webster was found abandoned behind a barn, living in an outside pen surrounded by six-foot-high weeds. Taken in by Bishop’s Small Dog Rescue in Wyanet, Ill., he was severely emaciated and walking on his elbows due to malnourishment and lack of exercise. His right paw was completely floppy, and X-rays revealed that the bones of his wrist had been completely pulverized. Webster has been gaining weight and getting healthy as his vets observe him to determine whether his leg will need to be amputated or whether it can be reinforced with surgically implanted plates. But one thing is for sure: He will never know hunger and abandonment again.

Rucker

Rucker’s owner ran him over with her car and left him to suffer for two weeks.

Rucker’s owner ran over the 1-year-old pit bull mix with her car, then left him tied to a chain to suffer for two weeks. His left femur was broken in two, his left hip completely out of its socket. Our grant helped Dog Town Canine Rescue pay for the amputation of Rucker’s injured leg. He is doing great as a tripod and has been adopted into an adoring home where he has two canine companions to romp with. Dog Town Canine Rescue is working with law enforcement to assist with the prosecution of Rucker’s former owner.

Reason

Used for breeding, Reason had her teeth pulled out so she wouldn’t bite.

Reason was rescued by M&M’s Fur-Ever Furbabies in Vass, N.C., from a life where she was used for breeding. She was starved, beaten, shoved into tiny crates for days, overbred, and had her canines shaved down and front top and bottom teeth pulled out so she couldn’t bite. Her gums were bruised, swollen, irritated and extremely painful, making it very hard for her to eat. We gave the rescue a grant to have dental surgery to correct the painful condition of Reason’s mouth so that she could eat and regain her health. She has gained 20 lbs., is starting to eat solid foods and, best of all, now has a constantly wagging tail, runs and jumps daily and displays a contagious smile every day.

Your support has meant the end of suffering for these dogs and other pets. Please consider donating to the Petfinder Foundation’s Emergency Medical Grant fund this holiday season to give the gift of a pain-free life to others like them.